Blame

/bleɪm/

Meaning & Definition

noun

the responsibility for a fault or wrong.

The blame for the failure was placed on the project manager.

censure; condemnation.

He accepted the blame for the mistake.

a state of being blamed.

No one wants to be the one who carries the blame.

verb

to assign responsibility for a fault or wrong.

She didn’t want to blame anyone for the accident.

to hold responsible for a fault or wrong; to criticize.

The teacher blames the poor performance on lack of preparation.

to find fault with someone.

It's easy to blame others when things go wrong.

Middle English, from Old French 'blamer', from Latin 'blasphemare' (to revile, blaspheme)

pass the blame

To avoid responsibility by assigning it to someone else.

blame it on

To attribute a negative outcome to someone or something.

take the blame

To accept responsibility for a wrongdoing.

accusation

A statement saying that someone has done something wrong.

scapegoat

A person who is blamed for the wrongdoings of others.

throw someone under the bus

He threw his colleague under the bus to save his own job.

pass the buck

Don't blame me, I'm just passing the buck.